How to Use Business Credit to Fight Inflation as a Startup

How to Use Business Credit As a Startup: Where to Find It

The truth is, even as a startup you can benefit from business credit. Generally, the mindset is that you have to have credit to get credit. Unfortunately, this is more true with business credit than personal. However, it is possible to get credit for your business as a startup.  With inflation on the rise, it’s more important now than ever. So, here’s how to use business credit to fight inflation as a startup.

First, starting this process as early as the startup phase has many benefits. In fact, the earlier you start the better. Still, it isn’t easy to find companies that will extend credit to a startup.

Business Credit Options for the First 30 Days

In the first 30 days most businesses can get accounts with:

  • Uline
  • Brex
  • Grainger

Uline

Uline sells shipping, packing and industrial supplies. To get a Net 30 account with them you need to meet the general requirements for a Fundable™Foundation. In addition, they may require that you make a few prepaid orders before they offer net terms.

Now, how do you use business credit with Uline to fight inflation as a startup? Use your Uline account to buy things you need for your business now, before prices rise anymore. Imagine, even if you buy things you will not use for later, you are probably saving money in the long run. Due to inflation, the price may very well go up before you actually need to buy them again.

Some examples of things you can buy include:

  • Office furniture
  • Office supplies
  • Warehouse equipment
  • Shipping supplies
  • PPE
  • Items needed for retail setup

Brex Net Daily

To start, open a Brex cash account. Everyone with a cash account gets a corporate card that works like a debit card. However, as you buy things on it, they report to Dun & Bradstreet like you are making payments on a credit  account. Even though this doesn’t include extra funding, it can still be helpful. This is because it can help build your business credit score faster.

Grainger Industrial Supply

Grainger sells hardware, power tools, pumps and more. In addition, they offer fleet maintenance. The account reports to Dun & Bradstreet. To qualify, you need to meet the standard Fundable™ Foundation requirements, plus be registered with the Secretary of State for at least 60 days.

Furthermore, if you have no established credit, more documents may be necessary. These may include:

  • Accounts payable
  • Income statement
  • Balance sheet

How to Use Business Credit With Grainger to Survive Inflation

You can use your Grainger account to buy:

  • Constructions supplies
  • Cleaning supplies
  • Tools
  • And more!

Just like with Uline, you can buy now to lock in lower prices before inflation causes them to rise.

Business Credit Options for the First 60 to 90 Days of Operations

In the first 60 to 90 days many will qualify for accounts with:

  • United Rental
  • Tiger Direct
  • Amazon

United Rental

United Rental is the largest equipment rental company in the world. To qualify for a credit account with them, you need to have a Fundable™Foundation. There is no minimum time in business and they do not require a minimum purchase to report payments.

Use this account to rent tools and equipment, which can help you manage your cash flow better.

Tiger Direct

Tiger Direct is an online provider of electronic products. They offer pretty much anything you can think of when it comes to electronics, including:

  • Computers
  • Hard drives
  • Keyboards and more

Use your account to buy things you need, run your company more efficiently, manage cash flow, and build business credit.

Amazon

Everyone knows Amazon is an online retailer of virtually everything. However, they also report payments on business credit accounts to D&B and Equifax.

So, wondering how to use business credit with Amazon to help your company make it through inflation? Like the others, use it to buy things you need for your business while the prices are lower. Then, when you have the cash to pay later, you will not have to worry about the rising prices.

Keep Building Business Credit

That’s how to use business credit as a startup. Leverage the few credit accounts you can get as a startup, and grow your business credit score through the startup phase. Truly, credit for your company can be an excellent life raft to help you get through the sea of inflation. After that, you can continue to grow your business and thrive well past startup.

The post How to Use Business Credit to Fight Inflation as a Startup appeared first on Credit Suite.

Meticulous (YC S21) Is Hiring #2 Founding Engineer in London

Hey HN, I’m Gabriel, founder of Meticulous.

Our mission is to make the world’s code safe, performant and reliable. We’re starting with a tool to catch JavaScript regressions in web applications with zero-effort from developers.

How it works: Insert a single line of JavaScript onto your site, and we record thousands of real user sessions. We then replay these sessions on new code to automatically catch bugs before they hit production. You can watch a 60-second demo at meticulous.ai.

We are a London-based YC company. Our team previously worked at Dropbox, Opendoor and Google. We just raised $4m, and are backed by some of the best founders and technical leaders in Silicon Valley, including Guillermo Rauch (founder Vercel, author next.js), Jason Warner (CTO GitHub), Scott Belsky (CPO Adobe), Calvin French-Owen (founder Segment), Jared Friedman (YC partner and former CTO of Scribd) and a bunch of other incredible folks.

Catching JavaScript regressions is just the start. There is an entire category of products to build on top of replay. This ranges from automatic UI previews to revealing the performance impact of frontend code.

We want to change the way the world develops software, and influence software approaches for decades to come.

We are hiring an onsite founding engineer to join our team of two.

You will have autonomy in building out this technology, but here are a few problems you might work on:

– Build a distributed system to concurrently replay thousands of sessions, such that a developer gets a result in seconds.

– Speed up the replay of sessions in a way that retains determinism.

– Derive algorithms to detect sessions that cover differing code paths and edge cases, and ignore sessions that are too similar.

– Help build out a team of world-class, highly collaborative, software engineers.

As founding engineer, you get to shape the company, and build the culture and technology from the ground up.

What we look for:

In a sentence: Technically brilliant, delightful to work with, combined with a self-awareness and strong desire to improve.

We’re currently only looking to bring on folks with mid-to-senior level skill sets. You should have strong web fundamentals and a deep love for software engineering. Maybe you enjoy programming books like Clean Code, Designing Data Intensive Applications, Pragmatic Programmer etc. or enjoy hacking on interesting side projects. You value transparency and candid feedback, and are driven by a strong desire to become the best engineer you can be.

What you get:

Compensation: We want outrageously talented individuals. This means we offer commensurately outrageous equity grants. The equity grant will be 2% or greater with employee-friendly terms (10 year exercise window on options). We pay £100k-£150k in base salary, along with top of line benefits and perks. You can read about our values here https://sumptuous-lungfish-609.notion.site/Meticulous-values…

Learning: You will be given the space and time to up-level yourself as an engineer in terms of conferences, reading, or whatever you think will be most valuable. We will also set you up with mentorship, if you desire it, from top engineering leaders (folks running 100-engineer organizations at the world’s leading tech companies).

If this sounds interesting, please reach out to me at gabe [at] meticulous [dot] ai with “HN” in the subject line and 2-3 sentences about what you find interesting about Meticulous and your resume/LinkedIn/GitHub.


Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29623881

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

The Ultimate Guide to B2B Local SEO

Is your company tapping into its local customers through B2B local SEO?

Although business-to-consumer (B2C) brands often leverage local marketing, business-to-business (B2B) ones tend to take a broader approach.

B2B brands without storefronts are even more likely to have their local marketing strategies slip through the cracks.

That said, there are enormous opportunities for B2B companies to tap into the local market’s power. 

46% of all Google searches are local, so if you’re not targeting people in your area, you may be missing nearly half of your potential consumers.

Consumers regularly search online reviews and research businesses in which they’re interested. This trend continues to grow—a BrightLocal study showed 90% of consumers used the internet to find a local business in the last year, with 33% looking every day.

Are you wondering how to attract local customers? The answer is deceptively simple: optimize your local search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.

Let’s dive into critical areas and explore the best ways to enhance your B2B local SEO strategy.

What is B2B Local SEO?

B2B local SEO is about improving your online search visibility for nearby customers in your physical service area.

There are several ways in which local SEO varies from traditional SEO. Several ranking factors can move the needle in different ways.

Some of these include a searcher’s location, your Google My Business listing, online reviews, your website’s mobile optimization, and more.

Begin the process with a B2B local SEO audit. This will help you define which areas need enhancement.

When done right, local search engine optimization will help your website rank higher for specific, relevant searches.

When you rank higher, you become more visible to searchers. Higher visibility in local searches often leads to more sales, leads, conversions, and revenue.

Create and Optimize Business Listings

Once your audit is complete, you can focus on tactics to take your B2B local SEO presence to the next level.

Start the process of optimizing your business for B2B local SEO by getting everything squared away with Google.

First, audit your Google My Business listing. There are several guidelines for representing your business on Google.

Most importantly, to get a Google My Business profile, your company must engage with customers—in person. This means you need a physical address, not a P.O. box or virtual office address. Businesses that travel to customers may also qualify.

This may make it seem like only B2C companies qualify. But, this isn’t necessarily true. Google has an array of categories, and many apply to B2B brands.

Major categories include food establishments, attractions, professional services, personal services, entertainment, retailers, transportation, and more. If you provide any services to companies, your B2C is likely eligible for Google My Business.  

The way you represent your business on Google should be consistent with how you showcase your business to the world.

Ensuring all the information on your Google My Business page is accurate is also critical to local SEO for B2B marketing.

When someone searches for your business, if your Google My Business is set up correctly, your listing appears in a box on the right side of Google’s search results.

It contains all the basics about your business, along with reviews. If you don’t fill out your address, phone number, website, and hours, local customers won’t find you as easily.

Then, there are the results that appear at the top of a Google search when someone searches for something more general, like “printing services in Las Vegas.”

Ahrefs refers to these as “snack pack” results.

The “snack pack” box displays the top local business listings most relevant to the search, along with a map showing where each is located.

b2b local seo example

Google’s customer reviews are also vital. They help increase transparency and establish trust in your brand. You can also gain a lot of insights into your customers’ perceptions through them.

Both positive and negative feedback can tell you a great deal about how your business is faring in the “real world.” Use these reviews to improve your business.

Content Marketing and B2B Local SEO

Creating content is a great way to optimize for B2B local SEO. You want people to find you quickly, and there are many ways to get your business on page one of Google fast.  

Perhaps most importantly, you need to use specific keywords related to your industry, products, and area of expertise.

When people search for those terms, your website is more likely to show up if you included them.

Your homepage should clearly illustrate your business. Your “About” and “Contact Us” pages should also feature details your customers may want to know.

This goes for both front- and back-end content. Your title tags, header tags, and meta descriptions should also contain vital information about the business.

Conduct keyword research and determine which ones make the most sense for your business.

The keywords should be contextually relevant and make sense for the audience you’re targeting. In other words, quality matters over quantity.

Ensuring your keywords fit from a regional perspective is also important for b2b local SEO.

While using broad keywords may drive traffic, those visiting may not be the most suitable leads based on location.

This is where strategizing for local customers comes into play.

By integrating region-specific keywords—like city or landmark names—into your content, you’ll be better able to connect with the relevant audience in your area.

Think about how you can give value to this audience in particular. What might they, specifically, be searching for? Create content answering the questions they commonly ask.

Create such content in either written or video form—or a mix of both. Video content is becoming more expected by audiences.

Research by Valasys Media suggests visual storytelling may benefit B2B marketers because:

  1. It simplifies content for the users.
  2. It conveys lots of information quickly.
  3. It strikes a more emotional chord with prospects.
  4. It improves personalization and invokes a perceived “personal value.”
  5. It’s often timeless.

Take your region into consideration when creating your stories. How wide should you cast your net? Are you targeting a city or a whole state?

Additionally, research the most effective local base to target for the best ROI.

Link Building and B2B Local SEO

Link building is another pillar of local content marketing strategy. We touched upon link categories before, and they come into play with link building.

If possible, garner links back to your website and digital assets from a variety of local sources.

These may include local directories, industry-related sites, partner sites, chambers of commerce and other organizations, and newspapers’ sites.

A great way to have other sites link to you is to create and promote a useful resource. For example, say you’re a local medical clinic that provides flu shots to businesses, and flu season is approaching. You could create a guide about the best ways to avoid the flu at the office.

This type of guide is something from which anyone can learn, and it’d be beneficial for other sites to feature it.

Many chambers of commerce websites also have areas where local businesses can promote offers.

For example, the Newport Chamber of Commerce has a specials page where various B2B brands like office space and printing services offer deals.

Mobile Marketing and B2B Local SEO

Mobile marketing is a critical aspect of B2B local SEO, as 50% of B2B search queries are from mobile devices.

Since people have their phones with them all the time, they’re able to search more proactively than in the past.

Search Engine Journal compiled some fascinating stats on mobile search trends related to local SEO. Did you know 18% of local mobile searches lead to a sale within one day? Or that 78% of local-based searches on a mobile device end in purchases made offline?

Keep these mobile trends in mind when boosting your local online presence. Make sure your website and landing pages are optimized for mobile devices.

Your digital strategy for B2B local SEO should also include social media, which is primarily accessed through mobile devices. Facebook and Instagram have local components that let you include instructions and allow customers to geo-tag your business when they post about it.

There are many ways people search for businesses on their smartphones. This is why having your Google My Business listing up to date is imperative.

Whether your customer is planning in advance or already on the way, you want to make sure to reach them wherever they are.

The Benefits of B2B Local SEO          

Why is b2b local SEO important? Because you have a greater potential of driving in-person traffic to your business when you target your local audience.

For a relatively low-cost, you can draw in people who are searching for your type of business.

Diversifying your online presence across various channels has further benefits as well. Many third-party websites and platforms like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and other similar directory-like sites are becoming more advanced.

They also have their own audiences, who wouldn’t find you as easily if those directories are their go-to search options.

In addition to maximizing your presence on Google and other websites, optimize your website for local search.

For example, if you’re a dog groomer in San Diego, integrate keywords like “dog groomer in San Diego” so you have specifically mentioned your location.

When people in your region are conducting local searches for “dog groomers near me,” you’ll rank for those, too—but only if Google knows where you’re located.

The key to ranking for “[your term] near me” is to start by Googling that specific phrase or your local-specific phrase that you want to rank for.

When you do that, you’ll be able to see all the localized sites from which Google is pulling. Make sure you’re listed there—if you’re not, you need to figure out why. Have you made your location clear?

If you live in Boston, for instance, there are many suburbs, landmarks, etc. On your website, list different nearby features like these. It could also be beneficial to include directions to your business from those specific places.

Ensure you also have a localized number and not just an 800 number, so people know you’re really there.

Furthermore, when people look for a specific service, they’ll often visit various touchpoints.

For instance, they may land on your website and then go to Yelp to read reviews. This is why having a listing there is essential.

After providing services, ask customers to leave reviews.

Conclusion       

Local businesses can hugely benefit from strategic SEO plans.

Think about how many people use their mobile devices to search for local businesses.

There are many ways to get your business found online, from keyword optimization to link building tactics and local listings.

Which b2b local SEO tactics have been most fruitful for your B2B business?

The post The Ultimate Guide to B2B Local SEO appeared first on Neil Patel.

Best Employee Scheduling Software

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission. Managing the shifts of your workforce on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis can be challenging. There’s a fine between being shorthanded and overstaffed without letting your labor costs get out of control. Staying …

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